Oubliette
by immortalpen
Summary: In her darkest dreams and deepest desires, she wished for a different life, and somewhere, a world away, someone heard. Mini story based on The Labyrinth movie.
1. Chapter 1

Hi Guys, I'm being so naughty, as I am currently writing the ending for Apres Ski, and the next mega chapter for The Night Garden, and both are on the way, but this is a little story I had lying around that I wanted to share, really just see if there are any other Labyrinth fans out there like me .

Jareth Goblin King was my very first crush and I was obsessed with the movie as a little girl. I recently watched Goblin the Korean drama, and it reignited all my old love for goblin lore and fair folk stories. Of course, I can't love a settling and story set up without imagining how Klaroline would fit in it. And this one... this one really works I think.

Heavily influenced by the movie Labyrinth, so not very original! Any quotes in italics are from the film, either dialogue or song lyrics... fav songs from OST to read the story to are As the World Falls Down, Within You and Magic Dance. Just a short mini story for fun!

Oubliette

Part One

 _It's only forever, it's not long at all..._

In a stone and shadow city, in a kingdom shrouded in darkness, a velvet cape encrusted with stars, a lonely and cruel King sat on his throne of silver and bone, surveying his kingdom.

His head turned to the side, his attention stolen from his courtiers.

A voice from the world of men.

He had long ago given up on the mortal realm. Few believed in the old ways, so few sacrifices made to the Fair Folk anymore, even fewer changeling children left in the woods overnight. They were below notice as a consequence, such a pity, his father, and his entire line before him had looked to that very world for a bride, and he would be the first to be refused that right.

The first Goblin King without a bride.

The voice called to him again, he frowned as he conjured a crystal from air to look into.

"Show me the girl" he whispered softly, the crystal glowed in his hand.

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Caroline pushed her hair from her face as she struggled to clasp the car seat seatbelt. She let out a grunt of frustration, the damn thing wouldn't close, who designed these anyway? She fought the urge to curse, with Lizzie and Josie looking up at her innocently from a foot away. As the lock finally slid into place, she pulled back, already congratulating herself, when Josie's fat little fist shot out and grabbed a hanging lock of her hair, and pulled hard.

"Ouch! You little monster!" Caroline cried, trying to detangle the strand and ignore the gleeful expression in the twin's eye.

"No pulling" she said, for what felt like the 100th time that day. She finally shut the back door and walked around to the driver's seat and got in, letting out a loud exhale as she did.

Days like today were becoming more and more frequent, and she was tired of it. When was she getting her life back?

As she pulled carefully out the space and headed for home, the phone rang. She answered with the hands-free, and tried to keep her attention on the road.

"Caroline?" a voice asked, and Caroline gritted her teeth against its too friendly tone.

"Yes, Alaric, I'm here. I just picked the twins up." She said, glancing at the clock and holding back a curse as she saw the time.

"Right, thanks for that. You see, the thing is, Liz and I need you to look after them at home for just a couple of hours. I took your mom to that new spa hotel, she really needed a break" he said, and Caroline gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckled turned white. A baby started crying in the back, making the loudspeaker hard to hear.

"You guys just got back from vacation, a three-week long vacation, last week" Caroline said, her voice strained.

"I know, it's crazy that your mom can already be this stressed so quickly" his voice said, and Caroline scowled, wondering if he was deliberately trying to misunderstand her.

"I wish I could help, but I have rehearsal today, remember, I told you. I have to leave by 5" She said, feeling her heart drop as the phone was passed over.

"Hi Caroline honey. I'm so sorry, I totally forgot about your rehearsal." Her mom's soft voice said, and Caroline felt her resistance melt away.

"I just don't think we are going to be back in time, even if we leave right now –" her mom was saying as Caroline cut her off.

"Its fine. I'll catch up at the weekend. No worries, have fun" she said. The crying in the back escalated and she felt a migraine press behind her eyes, an all too common feeling nowadays.

"I've gotta go, we are home. See you later!" she said, her false tone jarring in her ear. She hung up and stared at the front on the house a long moment as both twins in the back started crying.

Feeling a sudden, overwhelming anger, she let out a short scream, and banged her hands on the steering wheel, the sudden pain distracting her from her irritation and letting out some of the suffocating feelings. She accidently hit the horn, and its loud beep silenced the twins for a moment, before they both started back up, with renewed intensity. Fighting the urge to cry, she called out to them, her voice shaking.

"It's ok girls, I'm here. I'm always here"

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That night, Caroline stood in front of the mirror in her room and stared at her reflection. Dark circles ringed her blue eyes, and her skin was pale, despite summer being over. Her friends had just gotten back from a group vacation to celebrate the end of high school. They had travelled around South America, and she had poured over their group messages and video chats, desperately wishing she had been with them.

But she hadn't, she had been here, looking after the twins, and she had still not managed to make her mom understand how much that had hurt her.

Her mom deserved happiness, Caroline knew that more than anyone, which was why she did everything the older woman asked of her. When her parents divorced, it had been like everything she had thought she'd known about love and relationships had been ripped away. She had been lost, adrift, for years really. She seldom saw her father now, he had another family and was happy. Her mom had been alone, for so long, maybe even given up the hope of meeting anyone else, when Alaric Saltzman had appeared in town, the new History teacher at the high school.

He was tall and handsome, in a boy next door way, and about 15 years younger than her mother. It had set a small town like Mystic Falls alit with gossip, and not only was Alaric much younger than Liz, he had two children from his previous marriage, over whom he had joint custody.

Caroline didn't know how she felt about Rik, but she did love the twins. Only 18 months, they were sweet and loving. However, they were also hard work, and with Rik and Liz working full time, it seemed to always fall to Caroline to take care of them. She didn't mind being the big sister babysitter, but she was too young to be a teen mom, which is what she was starting to feel like she was.

She wanted to go to school for broadcast journalism, and this summer, she gotten the lead in a local play, and hours being a runner at the local news station. The play would be good performance practise, and she was excited for it, but so far, she was barely making it to rehearsals. She knew the director wasn't happy, so she was trying to be super prepared and helpful when she was there, but sooner or later, something was going to have to give.

She just hoped it wasn't her.

She gripped her phone tighter and resisted the urge to look again. The latest group photo showed a particularly painful scene. Her boyfriend, well, ex now, Tyler, locked in a passionate tango embrace with a sultry dark haired Argentinian wasn't doing much to improve her mood. She had thought they were strong enough to survive a long vacation apart, but apparently not. He had called broken it off last week, no doubt so he could enjoy the rest of his holiday guilt free.

She turned back to the book in her hand. Her fingers tracing over the golden, spidery script.

 _The Labyrinth_

It was the play they were doing at the local theatre. She turned to the end, her part as Sarah highlighted in pink. She always forgot this part, her brain was so scattered with everything lately, it was hardly surprising.

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered…." She muttered, running her hands through her hair as she tried to squeeze the words into her overflowing brain.

A sharp cry from the baby monitor broke her focus as she picked it up to see Lizzie had dropped her dummy and woken up.

"Let this day end" she muttered as she wondered through to the nursery.

"Lizzie Saltzman! If you're not careful, I'll let the Goblin King come and steal you away and lock you in the Labyrinth, where you will never find your way home!" she said in a mock stern voice as she searched for the dummy in the cot, and popping it in the soft, open mouth.

"Be good little one" she whispered as she left the room and quietly shut the door, returning to her room and the open copy of the Labyrinth.

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen" she recited as she settled back to finish memorising her lines. She would make it to rehearsal tomorrow, and everything would be fine, she told herself, though even in her head, she wasn't quite sure she believed it.

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The Goblin King watched the girl. He always did now, now that she had called to him, day and night. He saw her struggle, he saw her unhappiness. He felt her longing.

"Do you think she'll say the words?' a voice whispered in the dark corners of the throne room.

"How should I know? Maybe? But what will happen to us if she does?" another voice answered, doubtful.

They watched the King conjure endless crystals filled with her face, his eyes mesmerised by them.

"What will happen to us if she doesn't?" the other voice countered, even more fearful.

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"I'm sorry Caroline, I just can't hold the spot anymore, and Elena is always here, she knows the part. Opening night is only 4 weeks away" the director was saying over the phone and Caroline swallowed the jagged lump of bitterness that had blocked her throat.

"I understand, thanks for giving me so much time." She croaked, sure that she wasn't going to make it off the phone before she cried.

She let the phone drop to the bed and felt the first hot tears streak down her cheeks. It hadn't mattered too much, about missing summer vacation and all the fun memories she should be taking with her after high school, because she'd been working toward her future. Now, she'd missed everything, just to be a babysitter, and whether or not it made her selfish person, right at that moment, she didn't care. It hurt.

Her eyes were drawn to the page before her on the bed.

 _"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. And the baby was a spoiled child, and wanted everything for himself, and the young girl was practically a slave. But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers"_

She let out a bitter laugh at the words, as she heard the baby monitor go off again, grabbing it and seeing once again, the dummy bandit had spat out her pacifier.

She wandered through to the nursery, seeing rain streaking the windows, and heard the far-off growl of thunder. She walked to the crib and looked down. Josie started to cry as she searched for the pacifier, the noise loud and grating on her shattered nerves.

"Shhhhh! I'm looking for it" she snapped, her mind drifting to her mother and Rik, wondering how they possible thought it was ok to leave her in charge of the twins for endless nights in a row.

Lizzie started crying from the other corner, and she felt her patience snap. She stood up and clamped her hands over her ears.

"I can bear it no longer! Goblin King! Goblin King! Wherever you may be, take these children of mine far away from me!" she shouted, quoting from the book, her lines, fresh in her mind, ready for a performance she'd never make. As she spoke, lightening filled the room for one, long electric filled moment, and as her words faded from the air, thunder crashed, closer now by the sounds of it.

She sighed into the silence, pushing the pacifiers back into both girls' mouths, hearing them suck away gummily, returning to their snuffly soft dreams. She gently stroked the curve of Lizzie's rounded cheek, a smile coming to her lips.

"Hmmm, powers my ass. Sleep tight little monkeys, don't let the bed bugs bite" she whispered as she left the nursery, closing the door behind her and went back to her bed room.

Her costume was still handing on the back of the door, a long white dress, with fluted bell sleeves, fitted waist and full skirt. The bodice was embroidered with white roses.

She pulled off her top, leaving her jeans on, slipped it over her head, smoothing over her jeans as best she could. Elena would be wearing this on stage. She felt a tiny bead of jealousy form in her mind, and did her best to squish it. It wasn't Elena's fault she never made it to rehearsals.

She stood before the window and watched the storm descend, sending the trees that ringed the house thrash back and forth, a branch snapping off and hitting a nearby car, adding a shrieking alarm to the tempest. As she pulled the curtain back into place, the lights in her room flickered once, and she held her breath, waiting, and they flickered again, and stayed off.

"Perfect" she muttered as she opened the curtains again. A flash of lightening lit up her room as she groped for a lighter for the scented candle she sometimes burned.

The smell of jasmine and vanilla filled the room with the snicker of the lighter and she carried the candle over to the dressing table to double the pool of light.

She stood there in front of the mirror, and looked at her reflection in the candle light. She looked like the heroine from the book, ethereal and pale, a sacrificial lamb for the demon's table.

The baby monitor let out a beep, and she saw the camera flashing in the corner indicating that it had lost signal.

She picked up her candle and made her way to the door. It was quiet, except the storm outside, as she walked slowly down the hallway. She could see the twins' room from here, and frowned as she saw the door was standing open. She knew the house was locked up tight, so she didn't feel afraid.

She was sure she'd shut it, but mustn't have. She reached the door and slowly stepped inside. It was dark inside, suffocatingly so, she walked over to the window first, and slowly drew open the curtains, letting in the pale moon, diulated by heavy clouds. A white shape blurred past in the garden below, and she leaned her forehead against the cold glass to see what it was.

It was a dog of some kind, it almost looked like a wolf. Silver and white, it sat in the pouring rain and stared up at her. Though she couldn't see, she imagined it's eyes were golden.

As she stared she suddenly became aware of a small scratching noise behind her. The room was really very quiet except for that, and as she turned her head to find the source, it stopped.

She glance back down at the dog outside, which hadn't moved, and the sound started again. She glanced back around, and it stopped again.

And then, in the silence, she heard it.

A soft laugh.

All the hair on her body stood on end, and her heart suddenly started to pound. She started forward towards the crib holding the twins, planning on grabbing them and getting into a bathroom with a lock, and calling her mom, or the police.

She reached the cot and looked down.

It was empty.

"Lizzie? Josie? Where are you?" she whispered, feeling fear like she had never felt before reach up and choke her.

From the floor, a sudden pitter patter noise or tiny feet running shot from under the bed and into the hall. An animal of some kind? She was beginning to panic, she could feel it, like soda in her bloodstream.

"Lizzie! Josie!" she cried, feeling tears already tugging at the corners of her eyes. She dropped to the floor, just in time to see a dark shape disappearing into the wardrobe. She ran over and flung the door open. Nothing, there was nothing to see. Her hand went to her pocket and she grabbed her cell and started dialling 911.

As the operator answered, the sound of shattering glass filled the air and the shock made her drop the phone as she spun around to the window, her hands flying up to protect her face from the flying shards.

Her brain struggled to understand what she saw, to make sense of it, to rationalise it.

The French doors were broken, glass glittered on the carpet, and a man stood in the open doorway, his clothes old fashioned and dark as the night outside. Fitted black trousers encased his legs, and a black tunic, all covered by a long black cloak. Only his face stood out. Cruel and terrible beauty, was the only way she could think of to describe him as her eyes met his and she felt the shock of that contact in her soul.

"Hello, Caroline"


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

 _"You remind me of the babe_ _  
_ _What babe? babe with the power_ _  
_ _What power? power of voodoo_ _  
_ _Who do? you do_ _  
_ _Do what? remind me of the babe"_

"Who are you? What are you doing in this house?" She said, backing away from the window, panic shooting through her as she saw him mirroring her steps, pursuing.

"Why my dear, I'm here at your request, on your errand" his voice was a low, cultured drawl, his eyes were intent on her, and his smile could only be described as predatory.

"You're lying, I have no idea what you're talking about" she cried, circling around behind a chair and stopped, keeping it between them. He smiled darkly at her words.

"And yet, it is so. Did you not just make a request, a wish, if you will, to the fair folk?" he asked, raising a lone eyebrow. She heard titters coming from around the room, and looked wildly about, jumping with fright as she looked back up to find him on the same side of the chair as her, his gloved hand covering hers.

"Worry not, sweetheart, I have done your bidding, you are free" he said, a smirk twisting his lips into a cruel smile. She pulled her hand from his and started backing away again.

"If you've touched those babies…" she began, and heard mocking laughter echo around the room.

"You'll what?" he asked, his blue eyes full of menace and mischief.

"I've already called the police" she warned, pointing to her phone, which was still lit up on the carpet. She prayed the call was still going through and could be traced.

"Oh goody, a party" he said, and raised a hand behind him, as though encouraging the barrage of catcalls and funny noises that rang out from various places.

The lightening flashed again, and like before, he was suddenly beside her, his strong hand resting on her arm, pulling her close to his side.

"Come, let's not quarrel, it's too soon in our relationship for that." He murmured as she tried to ignore the goose bumps that rose on her skin as his words trailed over her neck.

"Who are you?" she asked, suddenly tilting her face up to his, meeting his piercing gaze with one of her own.

"You already know"

"It's not possible"

"Perhaps not, perhaps it is more possible that you are safe in your bed, deep in a restful slumber and when you open your eyes, this will all have been a nightmare… or perhaps I am the Goblin King, who you summoned to rid you of your burdens, and grant your deepest and darkest desires" his voice had fallen into a caress, and she felt the urge to close her eyes, and lean her forehead against his chest. She shook herself and stepped back.

"I want the twins back, please, that's all I want" she said.

"What's said is said."

"That's not fair!"

"Who said it has to be?"

"Please, just bring back the babies"

"A deal is a deal"

"What deal, I didn't make a deal?"

"Didn't you?" he asked, infuriatingly calm.  
"Where are they?" she cried, pulling her arm from his cold grasp.

"You know where they are." he said, his voice turning stony. She shook her head, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Please, please, just bring them back to me."

"Caroline, go back to your room, practice your play and wear your pretty costume, forget about the babies."

"I can't!" Caroline cried.

"Here, I've brought you a gift" the King said, suddenly. From the recesses of his cloak, he produced a crystal, which he balanced in the air before her.

"This is just a crystal, but if you hold it his way, it will show your dreams… just for you, Caroline. Do you want it?" he asked gently, as Caroline gazed into the depths of the glass. It seemed to draw her in, she could hardly take her eyes off it.

"Then forget about the babies" he concluded, and she blinked, managed to turn away.

"No, I can't. Please, I must have them back, they must be so afraid." She said, her eyes appealed to him, pleaded with him. He felt the tug of wishing to see her smile and violently quashed it.

"Caroline, do not defy me, you are no match for me" he warned, his voice low and dangerous.

"I must get them back, I will do whatever it takes" she cried, tears running down her cheeks now.

"It's not that simple, sweetheart. They are in my castle now." He gestured to the wall, and Caroline gasped to see the wall of the nursery fall away, and a strange land slowly reveal itself. She could see a castle in the distance, all gleaming turrets and fortified walls.

Surrounding the castle, as far as the eye could see was a maze of some kind, a labyrinth, which twisted and knotted its way around and around, until it reached the castle at its pinnacle.

"Is that the castle beyond the Goblin city?" she asked, her voice a soft murmured.

"Do you still wish to retrieve them? Turn back Caroline, turn back before it is too late"

"I can't" Caroline said, turning back to the man standing beside her, if that was what he was.

"Don't you understand that I can't? Why don't you just free them?"

"Don't you understand that I can't?" he echoed, and he reached out then, his soft, supple leather glove running down her cheek, wiping a stray tear away.

"Such a pity" he whispered, his gaze running over her. She turned back to the scene before her, seeing that the rest of the room had disappeared and she now stood on a hill at the base of the Labyrinth, her feet sinking to the soft read sand there.

"It doesn't look that far" she said, making an effort to sound positive. She found him studying her as she turned back.

"Its further than you think, and time is short." He stepped back then, and the wind he had been sheltering her from buffeted her from all sides, the sand whipping up into her eyes. A large clock appeared on the sand beside her, hands counting down from 13 O'Clock.

"You have 13 hours to solve my labyrinth, after which the babies become one of us, forever."

He disappeared then, and she stared at the spot he had occupied before turning back to the task before her. She started down the slope. On the off chance this wasn't a nightmare, she could do it, she told herself confidently. And it was probably a nightmare anyway.

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 _Your eyes can be so cruel, just as I can be so cruel..._

Four hours later and she was more than ready to wake up. She had walked countless miles, been turned around and lied to and distracted by practically every creature she'd come across, she had fallen down, been thrown around, dropped and pursued as much as she could handle at this point, and she couldn't even see how close or far she was from the castle. She collapsed back against a wall, her feet were killing her, her dress was dirty and torn and her skin felt the same and all the time, she had worried about the twins. Where they were, if someone was feeding them, taking care of them.

She felt an uncomfortable object in her pocket and pulled it out. It was the crystal. She stared into it.

"Show me Lizzie and Josie" she instructed, and saw the scene in the glass start to change. She saw the babies, asleep on a pile of sheepskins, in the middle of a large, round room, with different creatures wandering by on either side, one was playing a small instrument. Goblins. The word was ridiculous, and no doubt she had lost her mind, and yet, that was what they were. She saw a dais on its raised platform, there sat the King, alone and untouched.

He was sitting nonchalantly on his throne with one leg thrown over an arm, and he was peering into another crystal. She could just make out her own imagine in the sparkling surface. She dropped the ball, and stood back up, determined to continue, find her way before the time was up.

She stifled a scream as she realised she was no longer alone, the King lounged against a nearby rock, his coldly beautiful face unreadable as he watched her.

"Caroline, please tell me you are ready to quit this fool's errand. You are already hurt, already exhausted… you should return home, rest, recover. Forget about the babies" he said. She yanked her scraped back hair down and put it up again, out of her eyes as she scowled at him.

"Never" she insisted.

"My my, we are stubborn. One can almost appreciate that level of commitment. Most impressive my dear" he said, standing suddenly with the grace of the wolf she'd seen in the garden. He walked closer to her and reached a hand out to smooth an errant hair.

"I would have thought that you, head cheerleader, Miss Mystic Falls, man eater, girl about town… would have more important things to do with her time" he said, and his words took her breath away.

"How do you know those things about me?" she asked, crossing her arms over the filthy dress. He sauntered around her.

"Are they not public knowledge?" he enquired, and she resisted the urge to smack him.

"How do you know anything about me?" she asked again, her blue eyes following his meandering path.

"Because… you called me." He said, stopping suddenly, and she found her cheeks heating under his sudden and intense stare.

"You made a wish, perhaps not with words, but with your heart… and I heard it. I answered the call. I accepted your invitation" He said, slowly moving toward her as she backed into the wall behind, only stopping when the rough stone pressed into her skin.

"I felt your longing a world away, literally" he murmured as he reached her, and leant one long arm on the wall by her head, leaning in, and taking a deep breath.

"Did you – did you just sniff me?" she whispered, her heart a clashing symbol in her chest. His eyes were closed as he seemed to savour her scent, and when he opened them, she bit down a gasp to see his blue eyes had become golden and feral, like those of the wolf.

"You smell like sunshine… it… pleases me" he said, a slight smile to his lips, as though he were paying her a compliment.

"I don't care about pleasing you" she breathed.

"Maybe you should" he said with a dark chuckle. He leaned closer still and grabbed an escaped curl in his finger, tugging it gently.

"Daddy's little princess all grown up, or thinks she is, but daddy's gone, though she still looks for him. Replaced by others, you take what affection you can get and are grateful for it, the meagre scraps of someone else's table. You go through the boys who surround you like a knife through butter, always searching for that which you will never find there. You feel petty jealousy for the girls who get all which you desire, and it seems so easy for them. Prettier, smarter, more popular, more loved than you. Caroline Forbes, always the back-up, never the first choice. Prostituting yourself to make your mother and her boyfriend happy, trading in your dreams for a pat on the head and all the while wondering why they never give you the love you want, the love you need" He said. His words were like pliers, wrenching open the lock box of her deepest and darkest thoughts.

"It offends me" he finished, with almost a growl to the words, which had robbed her of speech, her most horrible self, laid bare before them. She felt a tear run down her cheek, as she turned her face away from him, her embarrassment flaming in her cheeks.

She felt a strong finger hook under her jaw then, drawing her face forward, and though she fought it, another joined the first and soon it was useless. He drew her face to him, standing right before her, and forced her chin up.

"Look at me. Look me in the eye" he said, his words quietly forceful. She rose to his gaze, feeling the shame of the things he had said hanging in the air. His finger pushed higher until her chin was set at a haughty angle and she looked down her nose a little at him. He walked behind her, and suddenly touched her back, causing her to stiffen and pull away from his fingers, straightening her spine. He continued his slow circle and stopped before again.

"Your low expectations of those around you, of yourself, offend me" he said, and in his tone, she heard he really was offended.

"Don't act like you know –"

"I know everything there is to know about you, everything you are, everything you've been… everything you will be" he said.

"I expect part of you is trying to convince you to quit your quest… really, wouldn't life be easier without the little terrors to take up all your free time?" he said suddenly and a spark entered her eyes, a fiery determination.

"I'm not giving up, and nothing you say will convince me. I will save Josie and Lizzie. I will" she said, her conviction ringing in her voice.

"There" he said, suddenly stepping closer.

"There she is" he said, a real smile appearing on his lips, for the first time since she had met him, his expression was devoid of mocking or trickery.

"There who is?" Caroline asked.

"How are you finding my Labyrinth?" he asked, suddenly changing the subject as she stepped away, trying to get air into her lungs. He seemed to take up all the space around him.

"Fine, easy actually. I expect to be at the castle soon" she said. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Is that right? Perhaps I have been too lenient. After all, we can't have you defeating me, can we? It's bad for morale". The clock suddenly appeared on the wall beside them, and she could see the hours were pointing to Nine. Four hours down, nine hours to go.

"Let's up the stakes a little, shall we?" he rotated his finger in the air, and the hands of the clock spun around crazily, landing on seven.

"That's not fair!" Caroline cried out as she turned back to him.

"Life isn't fair! I am not fair, and you make a grave mistake if you expect me to be. I am the Goblin King. I answer to no one. I could keep you all- if you'd prefer." He said, a sudden deathly calm tone to his voice that stopped her cold. She swallowed nervously, before raising her chin to the angle he'd shown her.

"Do what you will. I will reach the castle beyond the Goblin city with time to spare." She said, and saw a small smirk grace his lips.

"Very well then" if she hadn't known better, his smirk almost looked approving and then he had turned away and was fading into thin air.

"Tick tock Caroline, better hurry"


	3. Chapter 3

It was about an hour later when Caroline came to a wall she couldn't seem to find an opening in. She walked one way, and then the next, and found a dead end in both sections. She looked back to the archway that had brought her that far, and found it had closed up. She had realised that particularly cruel talent of the maze she was in, that it was alive somehow. It moved and changed, before her eyes, and definitely behind her back. Doorways she'd just come through disappeared and new ways opened up, only to close before she could reach them. She wondered if the King was doing it, manipulating her from his castle high on the hill over her. She could already picture his indolent smirk. Irritation flashed across her face as she recalled their previous conversation. Was he watching her now? How long had he been watching her? How much did he really know about her? Was he a goblin really, she wondered. He looked like a man, a terrifying and supernaturally handsome one, but still, nothing like the strangest, twisted little creatures that seemed to surround him where ever he went. As she strode back and forth, locked in the same section, the tall labyrinth walls towering over her on all sides, she felt even more angry at the thought he was watching her… the trapped rat in his sadistic maze.

She studied the wall a long moment, scanning for something, a plan forming in her mind. Seeing something she thought she could make work, she leaned down and rubbed her hands firmly in the red dusty sand on the ground and poured some into her pockets, then she approached the wall.

Wedging her toe into a hold, she reached up for a hand hold, and held her breath. Pulling herself up, she waited a moment to see if the wall was going to suddenly throw her off or something. When nothing happened, she reached for another hold, and slowly started climbing.

It was difficult, and her muscles were tired, but she was in good shape, years of cheerleading had taken care of that.

She was about half way up when a tiny voice spoke near her ear, and she almost let go in shock.

"Ere you! You can't climb the wall! That's against the rules" she looked round to see a small worm, nattily dressed in a small waistcoat and hat looking up at her in outrage.

"What rules?"

"The rules of the Labyrinth, of course" he tutted.

"What are they?"

"I can't tell you that?!" he said, appearing offended she'd asked.

"Why not?" she asked, readjusting her hand as it threatened to slip.

"It's against the rules!" he fumed, and she bit down a laugh.

"Telling me the rules is against the rules? That pretty contrary. Who made this rule?"

"Who do you think? Your Majesty, of course" the worm said, puffing up a little with importance.

"Well, in that case it makes perfect sense" she said sweetly, before turning back to the climb and moving up again.

"Oi! I said stop, I can't just let rule breakers pass me by! I'll loose my job, I will" the little worm seemed quite concerned now. Caroline paused a moment.

"Can you help me then? And I'll go another way that doesn't ruin your job" she offered. The worm considered her proposal for a while.

"Well, I'm not sure. Maybe if you ask the right question, I could answer in a way that was helpful" he said slowly. Caroline thought for a moment.

"Can you tell me how to get out of this section?" she said. The worm shook his head sadly.

"Afraid not"

"Well, I'm sorry then, I have to go my way" she said, starting to climb up again and soon passing him completely.

"What did she ask?" his wife demanded as he went back into their crevice.

"She asked how to get out the section, and I couldn't help her."

"That's strange, why didn't she just ask how to get to the castle?"

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In the castle the King paced before the fire. He had just watched Caroline scale a wall almost 30 feet high. She was now walking along the top of the thick walls. She was cheating, it made him furious, but she didn't really know she was cheating, which was even more frustrating. At this rate, she really would be at the castle with time to spare, and their agreement would be void. She would return home with the babies, and there would be no leverage, there would be no deal.

He conjured another crystal, his eyes instantly stroking over her fine hair and features, her cornflower eyes and golden curls. She was tired, he saw it on her brow, but still, so achingly lovely. So determined and yet, so afraid. She had no idea of her own potential, her own power. She was untouched and he longed to show the world to her, wake the queen inside.

He made the crystal vanish and braced an arm over the huge roaring hearth that dominated the room, looked into the flames.

It had been so long since he had dared dream of a soul to stay beside him. His own family had deserted him long ago, flited off for more pleasant realms unknown and their absence was a dagger in his side. And yet, he was the Goblin King. _The_ Goblin King, and this was his kingdom, he could not leave it. He had never ventured Overground, and in truth, few of his kind had. A King certainly never left the Underground, except perhaps to steal a bride from the mortal realm. That was one journey he had long ago given up expecting to make.

He thought, perhaps after all this time, he knew himself well. His avarice and greed, his cruelty and twisted sense of humour. His thirst for power over all things, and his need to be revered and obeyed. Feared.

Yes, he knew himself well. And despite it all, despite knowing his own monstrous traits, his greedy heart still longed for a mate. A companion against the gathering dark, someone to spend the twilight with, and from them, a child to continue his line. A child with cornflower eyes and golden curls.

No, she couldn't be allowed to continue so quickly.

"Stefan, I have an errand for you" he called to his most trusted courtier.

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The light never seemed to change in this blasted world, she thought to herself as she decided to simply tear off the hanging bottom of the dress, the heat and dry wind of this realm finally wearing her down. As she trudged along, she started to think of water, and imagine what it would be like to drink a long draught of cool liquid. Her throat was burning with dryness, and she was pretty sure that's why she felt so tired.

Almost as though her mind had conjured it, she saw a small fountain ahead, with a table laid for lunch. There were succulent meats and spiced cakes, and everything she could imagine. And there was a drink of some kind that tasted vaguely alcoholic, but was light and refreshing. She sank down onto a stone bench and drank a little more of the refreshing drink, while looking over the table and deciding what to eat.

"You want to be careful. Eating and drinking new foods in a foreign land… could be anything in it!" a voice called, and she turned around wearily, tired of all the goblins who had already worn her patience thin. This one was the most human looking she'd encountered so far. He was almost as tall as the King, with a sculpted jaw and noble brow. The only thing strange about him were his eyes, which were more like a reptiles eyes.

She stood warily, backing up.

"I mean you no harm! I am merely passing through, and I thought to share some advice for another traveller" he said reasonably. She stood and stared at him a long moment before sitting tentatively down.

"What's wrong with the food?" she asked. He came closer and gestured to an empty bench, requesting her permission to sit. She nodded.

"Have you ever studied the classics? I'm thinking tales of the underworld, Hades and Persephone in particular, though the imagery is ripe throughout much of the literature of the past, and countless tales of the Fair Folk."

"Not really" she admitted. There was another area of self-doubt for the Goblin King to add to his laundry list of her insecurities. Intellect.

"Well, certain fruits, in the story I mention, pomegranates, hold a strange kind of power, and can bind the person who eats them to the Underworld." Caroline shifted violently away from the food, her eyes wide.

"Fear not, you haven't tasted any food, have you?"

"No, but I was going to, and I already drank a lot, I was so thirsty" she said.

"Drinking should be fine, and as long as you don't eat anything, I'm sure you'll be ok" he said reassuringly.

"I'm Caroline" she said in the ensuing silence. A kind smile lit the handsome if somewhat odd face of the young man.

"Stefan, nice to meet you"

"Where are you from?" she asked.

"I was actually born in Chicago, and I was very ill when I was a baby" he said, sitting back comfortably.

"My parents had come over from Ireland, and they still believed in the Old Ways. They took me to a sacred spot and left me for the Fair Folk. So, you could say I'm a changeling child" he smiled at her, his reptilian eyes winking at her. Caroline tried to process what he was saying.

"Are you ok?" Stefan prompted.

"Yeah, I think so. It's just, I'm suddenly seeing the world I know, well, knew, in such a different light. There was so much there that I had no idea about" she said faintly, and then clamped a hand over her stomach as it let out a loud growl.

"Sorry, it's been a long night, or is it day now? I don't even know anymore"

Stefan watched her a moment more, before pulling his backpack open and reaching inside. He held out a peach.

"Here, you look like you need it more than me" he said, that same friendly smile in place.  
"I thought you said no eating" Caroline said distrustfully.

"Definitely no eating the food from here. But this peach is freshly picked up at the supermarket this morning… in our world. I always bring my own food when travelling in the Underground." He said, passing her the peach. She stared at it, her mouth already watering.

The sweet smell reached her, and she stared longingly at the ripe fruit.

"Are you sure?" she asked uncertainly.

"Of course, don't worry, I eat them all the time, so long as it's not from here, you'll be fine. How will you survive the labyrinth if you don't have the strength?" he asked and gently closed her hand round the fruit.

"I suppose" she murmured, raising the fruit to her mouth slowly, all other thoughts had fled her mind and all she could think about was the sweet tender flesh of the peach, the nectar filing her mouth –

She bit into it and closed her eyes with satisfaction.

"Wow, that has to be the best feeling" she sighed as she took another bite. Stefan watched her in silence. She held the fruit out to him.

"Do you want to share? I feel bad taking all your travelling snacks" she said with a half-smile. She saw a look pass his features, a fleeting expression of guilty and pity, for a moment before he rose, slinging his backpack on.

"No, it's fine, you enjoy. I'll be seeing you Caroline. Good luck with the Labyrinth." He said rather brusquely, avoiding her gaze. She stood, watching his abrupt departure, the whole thing leaving a sour taste in her mouth. In fact, there really was a strange taste, she realised, and glanced down at the peach. She suddenly saw a gaping rotten spot, right in the core, where she'd already bitten. Dizziness descended suddenly and she slumped down at the table, her arm knocking off plates and bowls, which were suddenly empty.

She fell further to the floor, just needing to lie down a moment, her wrist lolling with the half-eaten peach in it, as she lay her head back. She could hear music from somewhere, it had seemed far away, only moments before, but know she felt like it was all around her, and into that place, she fell.

 _There's such a sad love_

 _Deep in your eyes_

 _A kind of pale jewel_

 _Open and closed_

 _Within your eyes_

 _I'll place the sky_

 _Within your eyes_

 _David Bowie, As the World Falls Down – Labyrinth OST_


End file.
